Notes for Module 1: Check to see when your district’s plan was last updated. There is no indication in the Opening Day Packet when the AUP was last updated. The acknowledgement page that parents/students sign has the current school year, but information for this year is identical to last year. Check to see if your districts AUP/RUP includes child safety and cyberbullying provisions. *Precautions will be taken to ensure that technology in the classroom is being used in an appropriate manner. Students will be instructed in the appropriate use and will be supervised while using technology for instructional purposes. *Bullying involving the use of technology (cyberbullying) will not be tolerated from either school or home and may result in suspension and/or a recommendation for expulsion. Also, when appropriate, local law enforcement may be involved. *Students shall not: Cyberbullying by posting or publishing images and video captured at the school site and school related activities on social networking sites, blogs, and other websites, that negatively impact the learning environment and/or harass students or staff member. *Students will be instructed on the appropriate use of technology in the classroom and be supervised while using technology for the purpose of instruction. The district provides Internet filtering software to stop most unwanted material from appearing on school computers. However, CUSD cannot guarantee that students will not access inappropriate materials on the Internet or misuse technology in the classroom and the district cannot guarantee that all undesirable websites will be filtered. Does it address copyright, plagiarism, and validity of resources? The AUP does not address these issues. 5th grade includes an Honor Policy that addresses plagiarism. It is up to individual teachers to address copyright and validity of resources. I do have the students complete a webquest that includes some information on checking the validity of a website. We do require students to cite their sources, including pictures, when submitting research reports, but I have not taught the students about using only copy-right free images. Is the AUP/RUP proactive or reactive (positive or punitive)? *The Cupertino Union School District (CUSD) is committed to providing our students access to cutting edge instructional technology tools. The use of technology for the purpose of instruction provides our students with learning opportunities that extend well beyond the walls of the classroom. For students, use of technology in the classroom is for educational purposes, such as accessing curriculum-related information, sharing resources, and promoting innovation in learning. Learning how to use technology is a vital part of creating exemplary learners with the skills to succeed in the 21st century. No personal use of any kind is permitted. The policy does start in a positive manner, but then quickly moves to a student shall/student shall not list. It ends by saying that the use of technology is a privilege, not a right, and that suspension of access or other disciplinary action may result from the inappropriate use of technology. Does your district require parental signature for students to be able to utilize the Internet, or does it only require a signiture if parents do not wish their child to use the Internet? Parents must sign a separate form indicating that they have read the agreement and understand that the district encourages the proper use of technology for the purpose of instruction. How well is the RUP/AUP understood by teachers, students, and parents? The AUP goes home in the Opening Day Packet, and an acknolodgment is returned signed by students and parents. The forms need to be returned before students able to use the computer lab (in theory). I don't talk to the kids or the parents about the policy, and until now, have not read it myself. Who is involved in revising the AUP/RUP (and the technology plan)? Are teachers, students, and parents included on the committee? At the moment, I have no idea who is involved. I do know that the district now has a committee that meets to determine policy and direction in regard to technology. The committee is called the Technology Planning and Implementation Committee (TPIC) and consist of various stakeholders throughout the District. Analyze your districts’ AUP/RUP. Compare it to the examples provided in this module. I read through two other AUPs from the module. Both were a lot more comprehensive in areas of concern. They both also seemed more "user-friendly", emphasizing that the Internet is a place that can greatly enhance learning, but that certain guidelines needed to be followed. What changes would you make if you were involved in revising it? I think would make the AUP more "child-friendly", maybe an elementary school version and a middle school version. Stress that the Internet can be a wonderful tool and that our concern is to keep students safe. I would also make it more comprehensive, allowing students to have an e-mail address, and use it in an appropriate manner. How might you assure that it is read and understood by all constituents (parents, teachers, administrators, and students)? For teachers and administrators, I would most likely review it during a pre-school year in-service day. Teachers need to review the policy with their students, maybe pieces at a time, as part of an overall cyber safety curriculum. Parents are a little more difficult, though incorporating this into a Back to School Night presentation would be helpful. Video Notes Policies, Practices, Training and Infrastructure
Use of personal devices for taking photos - I use my personal camera all the time. There's no log or record kept of photos taken by teachers at our school.
I like the little reminder video - it's short and might even be something that could be played at the beginning of every computer lab section, or a screenshot of the agreement be the first page the students see when they log into the Internet at school.
Videos reminding teachers of good Internet practices and some common courtesy items, like downloading large files during off-peak hours.
Notes for Module 2: Reflection Questions: 1. How does this information on copyright correspond with what you already know and use in your classroom? I know that there are restrictions on what you can and cannot legally use in the classroom. In the MERIT program, we've learned about Creative Commons, and other sites where you can find photos, music, and material that can be used without express permission from the creator. Some items, like videos, are okay to use if they are for educational, not entertainment, value; or a limited number of copies of a document are made for classroom use. 2. How are you teaching your students about copyright? When teaching students how to research information and obtain pictures for a report, I talk about the importance of citing their sources. I tell them that unless they took a picture themselves, they need to give credit to the photographer. The same goes for information that they are including in their reports. Again, they need to cite the sources where they've found information generated by others and can't copy/paste text they've found or used it with subtle changes in the wording. They learn about how to take notes, then turn those notes into their own words. I haven't taught them yet about using sites such as Creative Commons, and will need to make sure I teach them about using only public domain music when adding audio to videos later this year. 3. How do you model correct use of copyrighted materials in your classroom and in your daily life? One of the most important would be giving credit for images that I use in my PowerPoints, especially if I post them on our website. Also, making sure the author credits are on worksheets that I use in my classroom. Music that I play is either from CD's that I've bought or from free sites like Pandora, which do pay artists for air play. Knowing that I can't upload worksheets that I haven't created, even though the intent is just for my students to have Internet access to. 4. Do you observe violations of copyright law in your school or among your associates? If so, what violations have your noticed (perhaps now as a result of reading the above materials), and how might you help people to better understand copyright? While I am more aware of it now, I'm still probably as guilty as many other teachers of using copyrighted material. Not with malicious intent, but just with the fact that, in an attempt to not "reinvent the wheel", we find worksheets or images that will work with a lesson that we're putting together, and don't think to either cite it, or request permission. I think videos that are shown during rainy-day lunches or as a reward and don't tie to educational purposes are another major violation of copyrighted material. Educating teachers about what they can and cannot use without express permission and modeling it yourself are good ways to help people understand - kind of going on the premise of "unless it says you can, you can't". 5. Why do you think some people violate copyright law? As above, I think a lot of it is unintentional, just a lack of awareness about copyright law. I'm sure that there are those who do intentionally violate it though, in an attempt to avoid paying for the use of the resource, or to possibly claim credit. 6. Why do we have copyright laws?
We have copyright laws to protect the rights of the artists, musicians, authors, and others who create unique material and have the right to benefit from and control the use of that creation.
What have your learned about fair use that will help you in your classroom? On one side, knowing what types of material I can use and under what circumstances, so that I don't unnecessarily stress about whether what I'm using is appropriate or not. On the other side, having information that I can use to then teach my students about what they can use when creating their project.
What do you find most confusing about copyright and fair use? What surprised you as you reviewed the above materials? The different rules about different types of media are almost overwhelming - you can use up to 10% or a maximum of this many words/pages, seconds of music or video, etc... Probably the most surprising are the restrictions of tv program recordings. The fact that you can only keep them for 45 days and only show them during the first 10 days. If I record something to use during a lesson, I will usually want to be able to use it year after year, when I teach that lesson to each new class. This makes it difficult to do that legally. One of the areas we've been exploring is the concept of "flipped-teaching". Having the students do more of the lecture/reading part of lessons at home, to use class time for the activities/collaboration/discussion. After looking at the TEACH Act information, I wonder how difficult it would be to incorporate flipped lessons in a context outside an online college course.
How might you use the videos to help your students learn about copyright and fair use? The Disney video would be a good one that I could show my class. It's probably a little over what a 5th grader could grasp on their own, but it's entertaining enough to hold their attention, and I can see where a meaningful discussion could come out of viewing it. The second video appears to be more appropriate for a high school class, where they are more likely to be out making documentary films.
Notes for Module 3:
Think about how you teach digital citizenship in your classroom. How do you integrate this with your academic content?
Several sites, including Common Sense Media and K12 Digital Citizenship offer lessons that are directly tied to the new Common Core Standards. When teaching about how to research for a report, lessons on how to evaluate websites for reliable information can be included. Collaborative projects can be completed using a wiki or "Google Docs"
How does your school or district promote good digital citizenship? The below is from our district AUP.
Technology Safety - Precautions will be taken to ensure that technology in the classroom is being used in an appropriate manner. Students will be instructed in the appropriate use and will be supervised while using technology for instructional purposes.
Bullying involving the use of technology (cyberbullying) will not be tolerated from either school or home and may result in suspension and/or a recommendation for expulsion. Also, when appropriate, local law enforcement may be involved.
Terms and Conditions - Students Shall:
Use technology for educational purposes only
Communicate with others in a courteous and respectful manner
Maintain the confidentiality of personal name, address, phone number, password(s), and
respect the same privacy of others
Use only accounts and passwords provided by the school
Report any incident of harassment to a supervising district employee
Agree to the review of communications, data, and files by the Cupertino Union School District
Comply with copyright laws and intellectual property rights of others
Report any violation of this Acceptable Use of Technology Policy to a supervising employee
Students Shall Not:
Cyberbullying by posting or publishing images and video captured at the school site and school related activities on social networking sites, blogs, and other websites, that negatively impact the learning environment and/or harass students or staff members
Knowingly enter unauthorized networks or software to tamper or destroy data
Bypass the district’s filtering measures
Access or distribute abusive, harassing, libelous, obscene, offensive, profane, pornographic,
threatening, sexually explicit, or illegal material
Install personal software on district computers
Use technology for commercial, purchasing, or illegal purposes
Use technology in any other manner that violates district policies
Disclaimer - Students will be instructed on the appropriate use of technology in the classroom and be supervised while using technology for the purpose of instruction. The district provides Internet filtering software to stop most unwanted material from appearing on school computers. However, CUSD cannot guarantee that students will not access inappropriate materials on the Internet or misuse technology in the classroom and the district cannot guarantee that all undesirable websites will be filtered.
In addition, our school has an Internet Safety Night.
Most of this, however, is left up to the teachers to cover. For me, we have guidelines set up for our class wiki, that all the students must agree with. I teach how to use search engines effectively and evaluate websites. We have an Honor Policy that includes the topic of plagarism and I teach how to take notes from websites without copying, and how to properly cite sources.
When I receive e-mails from students, if they don't follow proper format, they receive a lengthy e-mail back from me regarding the proper format for writing to a teacher or other adult. How might you, your school, and/or your district better integrate digital citizenship into the curriculum?
I think that having this new Common Sense Media curriculum for next year will really be beneficial. There are lessons in a variety of areas, such as netiquette, privacy, research, and more. These lessons will be taught from Kindergarten on, so the concept of digital citizenship will be reinforced every year with the students. How might you help the parents of your students teach their children to be good digital citizens?
We have a short discussion on this topic during our Back to School Night, and a portion of our Back to School Information packet addresses how parents can help at home. Common Sense Media has information and parent tips/newsletters that can be sent home. Our district is also talking about setting up Parent Information Nights in conjunction with the new program.
What types of cyberbullying have you seen at your school?
We don't see much cyberbullying at our school. I have had a group of students write that another student was bossy and mean while on a collaborative page and sometimes wiki comments about student work can be a bit critical. Has your staff discussed cyberbulling and how to deal with it? If so, how cyberbullying being addressed?
Our school resource officers make a presentation each year about Internet safety and cyberbulling. I don't think we discuss it much in staff meetings. Any violations are handled with the principal and teacher, so it's kept pretty quiet, unless more people need to know about it. Does your school or district’s tech plan or AUP/RUP contain information on cyberbullying and how it is to be handled? From our AUP: Bullying involving the use of technology (cyberbullying) will not be tolerated from either school or home and may result in suspension and/or a recommendation for expulsion. Also, when appropriate, local law enforcement may be involved.
Cyberbullying by posting or publishing images and video captured at the school site and school related activities on social networking sites, blogs, and other websites, that negatively impact the learning environment and/or harass students or staff members
What can you do to prevent cyberbullying?
I discuss the topic with my students. We have our wiki guidelines that we agree to. In addition, I receive updates of wiki activity each night, and can quickly delete inappropriate items, restrict user access, and have discussions with students involved. In addition, our Project Cornerstone program addresses cyberbulling with lessons and scenarios that students act out and resolve.
Consider how you might use the videos and the reading information to teach your students about digital citizenship.
I bookmarked the sites for use next year. Since we are going to implement the Common Sense Media program next year, my computer lab sessions at the beginning of the year will incorporate these lessons to raise the students awareness from the very beginning.
Notes for Module 4:
As you explore these resources consider how you will teach your students about cyberbullying and what they can do to prevent it. How will you reach out to students who have been victims of cyberbulling? How will you help parents to understand the implications and indications of cyberbullying for their children (both as cyberbulliers and as victims).
Despite having both lessons from Project Cornerstone and Time for Kids, and a presentation by our school resource officers; I've had two incidents this week alone with cyberbullying. The first was a google doc shared by two students, where one was writing mean things about another student. The document was "accidentally" shared with the victim, though no one will admit to sharing it. The second was also a google doc project that had a statement show up in the middle of it. The history of the document showed that the document was being edited by the victim when the statement appeared. Though another student was at the victims house at the time, I am inclined to think the older brother did it as a joke, but am waiting to hear back from the parents. As a side note, the student who was writing the mean things has claimed that she would never bully anyone, as she was bullied at a different school. Her justification for this action was the claim that the victim was saying mean things about her, and this was her retaliation; though it does not appear that the victim was saying things about her.
With both cases this week, we acted very quickly. In fact, I wasn't even at school the day the first incident occurred, but noticed the activity on my google account of shared student documents. A quick phone call and e-mail to the school got the investigation started right away. The students involved will be making a public apology to the victim, including why what they did was wrong. Parents were informed quickly and made aware that this was a violation of the AUP and that it could lead to loss of school technology or even suspension. I don't think our principal has spoken with the victim's parents yet - that is something that I'll check on this week, but she did have a discussion with the victim. But making parents aware, and to watch for any changes in behavior, etc... would be important, as it would be for teachers.
The curriculum for Common Sense Media has several good lessons on cyberbullying, thinking before acting, and being an upstander, rather than a bystander. These lessons will be at the heart of our technology program. As we begin introducing this curriculum from Kindergarten on, I hope the repeated reinforcement on digital citizenship will become ingrained in our students. Combining this with the Project Cornerstone lessons and presentations by our school resource officers will continue to surround my students with the message that it's not okay to bully.
As you view these videso think about how you might use them, or the information in them with your students
My 5th graders are a little too young for some of the videos, though the cellphone picture location one really surprised me. That's something that I can show them and they can share with their parent.
I did a search on cyber-bullying 5th grade and came up with a few that were either created by 5th grade students, or that would be appropriate to show, including several on the Common Sense Media website. One, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWJut7KQhI4, even shows how you can be an upstander without saying a word. These would all be good to show. In addition, my students create PSAs during the year. As part of a technology/cyberbullying unit, I could have them create PSAs for their fellow students.
Notes for Module 5
How can you be sure the information you and your students find represents factual information? I can use the tips from the resources you and others have provided to find good websites for my students to use. Often, I'll put a list of websites up that they know they can go to for information. In addition, I can teach my students to evaluate websites, sometimes by giving them the fake ones to see what they think. How can you find sites that will hold your students’ attention long enough for them to gather the information they need?
This one is a little trickier. I think key is finding websites that are tailored to their age group. For science, I like sciencespot.net. The resources there are oriented towards elementary school students, so information is broken up by page, and there is usually lots of color, images, and graphics to keep their attention. How can you better integrate higher order thinking skills into your curriculum that will help students be better users of the Internet?
I found the Digital Bloom's Taxonomy helpful, with ideas of how I can have my students user higher order thinking skills and web 2.0 tools in combination. Of course, it was nice to see that some of the things I have my kids doing: like making PSA videos, publishing their writing on our class wiki, and working collaboratively on google docs or our wiki. I also like the list of "suspect" websites that I can have my kids evaluate.
The Google Blooming apps page looks helpful too, with apps I can download to my iPad, and different ways I can have kids using specific sites or apps.
As you view these videos consider how you will approach these two topics with your students. How do you teach these two concepts now? As part of a lesson on effectively using search engines, via a webquest, the last section is on authenticating websites. It as a series of "dupe detector" questions to ask of the website, to determine if it's authentic or not. Occasionally, we'll use videos or websites such as the tree octopus or flying penguins to remind students that just because it's on the Internet, doesn't mean it's real.
We also don't allow the students to cite Wikipedia as a resource, with the explanation that anyone can edit it, so you don't always know it's true. Of course, that doesn't mean that they (and I) go there for quick information.
What have you learned or found in this module that will help you as you teach these concepts to your students? There are a number of good resources available on on-line, in addition to the web-quest I have the kids do. It also reminds me to look for those opportunities to have the kids use higher-order thinking skills as they complete assigned projects. Sometimes the kids come up with them themselves. I had a group that asked if they could make a website based on information they found while writing their science camp guidebook. Another group is creating the images for their guidebook using art apps on my iPad. Both of these are new for me this year, and it just reminds me to keep looking for ways to make the lessons I teach better and more relevant to my students. Which of the above resources have been the most helpful for you?
From the "higher order" question above: I found the Digital Bloom's Taxonomy helpful, with ideas of how I can have my students user higher order thinking skills and web 2.0 tools in combination. Of course, it was nice to see that some of the things I have my kids doing: like making PSA videos, publishing their writing on our class wiki, and working collaboratively on google docs or our wiki. I also like the list of "suspect" websites that I can have my kids evaluate.
The Google Blooming apps page looks helpful too, with apps I can download to my iPad, and different ways I can have kids using specific sites or apps. At what age should be begin to teach these concepts to students? Our kinders are in the computer lab, so I think teaching these topics to that grade level is perfectly appropriate. Our new Common Sense Media program has a lesson on searching a couple of websites,
and the letters of the alphabet to find information on a cat, etc...
There is also a lesson on evaluating sites for this grade level where students go to specific sites and complete a graphic survey (happy/sad faces) if they like the pictures on the site, if there are fun activities, the links work, they would visit that site again, etc.
Module 6 What is our responsibility as educators, parents, students, and citizens to assure that all children, young people, as well as all of the people with whom we intersect, be responsible digital citizens?
Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it will also take all the members of a child's community to model, teach, expect, reinforce, collaborate, communicate, and provide opportunities for children to become responsible digital citizens. As educators, we need to locate relevant lessons, and actually teach them in our classrooms, finding ways to connect these lessons to curriculum that students are already working with. We need to model being responsible digital citizens ourselves, in content we use in our classrooms, the communication that we have with students, parents, and peers, and the way we act on-line. The parents need to be provided with material that they can use to reinforce what we do in the classroom, encouraged to also act responsibly on-line, and reminded that they have a responsibility to over-see what their children are doing, both on and off-line. Our students can then taught to become the mentors of younger students, helping to model responsible behavior. Another important piece is also the after-school programs, sports, and clubs. If students are constantly surrounded with the message that "this is how responsible digital citizens act and use tools to create positive outcomes", then teach that message to others; I hope that it will eliminate or reduce the fears and negative behaviors that can be associated with technology.
Notes from Safety/Literacy/Ethics for life in a digital world.
Digital Space: Make safe for kids & prepare kids for life in 21st century, productively, safely and effectively use tools to make life better.
Every child has a chance to become a good digital citizen
Definition of digital citizenship -
What are kids doing, thinking, expectations while on-line?
Good/Productive and Bad/Bullying
Move from fear and what you can't to, to protecting and empowering, how to engage and create
3 Buckets:
Internet Safety/Security
Digital Literacy
Behavioral Expectations - Digital Ethics
icionline.org
Infusing technology throughout the education process, and into society Mike Ribble: "Citizens that are using technology, how do we become better by using that technology?"
Ann: Rights and responsibilities of citizenship - killer app of on-line safety - don't overcomplicate it.
protective/empowering/collaborative
civil behavior/ethical behavior/kindness to others
teach children how to be good to one another, how to cooperate, defend someone being picked on, stand up for what is right
children need to be stakeholders in their own well-being on-line,
Chuck Saylors (PTA/Parent): Getting parents engaged, hone down message to something that is easy to understand, easy to deliver and appreciated by the parents, and adult role-models in the child's life.
Linda Burch (Common Sense Media) - Educating parents and schools, Shift from content to behavior. Balance between perils and possibilities. Language of empowerment and action, it's your world, what do you want to make of it.
Policy / Real-Curriculum / Inclusive / Public Awareness and Participation
How do we integrate this back into the classroom, what will we take away to make this happen?
Getting buy-in at the community level
Choices that kids make - how parents deal with those choices
Preventable crisis in the future
How do we evaluate and assess this?
Get government to engage in this too
Modelling, shake off mass-media native context (the way we grew up)
Not just a nice idea, it's imperative
DC is malleable, able to shift and change, international
Bring young people into the discussion
9 elements of digital citizenship
Start at K level, begin to talk about it as they go through, by 8th grade have foundation, high school can build on and begin to create.
Models of best practices
How to even start the conversation for parents with students - get the student engaged
Have a tech-literate parent liason at each school
Peer-mentoring program - behavioral issues
becomes vertical quickly - integrate world-wide, together - global conversations
A couple of years from now -
Soft cost -
hard cost - Frustrations, government funding questions,
Morph into a Public Health Question
Don't forget after-school space, clubs, sports, after-school programs, scouts, etc...
Connect home - school - after-school settings
shared responsibility
Check to see when your district’s plan was last updated.
There is no indication in the Opening Day Packet when the AUP was last updated. The acknowledgement page that parents/students sign has the current school year, but information for this year is identical to last year.
Check to see if your districts AUP/RUP includes child safety and cyberbullying provisions.
*Precautions will be taken to ensure that technology in the classroom is being used in an appropriate manner. Students will be instructed in the appropriate use and will be supervised while using technology for instructional purposes.
*Bullying involving the use of technology (cyberbullying) will not be tolerated from either school or home and may result in suspension and/or a recommendation for expulsion. Also, when appropriate, local law enforcement may be involved.
*Students shall not: Cyberbullying by posting or publishing images and video captured at the school site and school related activities on social networking sites, blogs, and other websites, that negatively impact the learning environment and/or harass students or staff member.
*Students will be instructed on the appropriate use of technology in the classroom and be supervised while using technology for the purpose of instruction. The district provides Internet filtering software to stop most unwanted material from appearing on school computers. However, CUSD cannot guarantee that students will not access inappropriate materials on the Internet or misuse technology in the classroom and the district cannot guarantee that all undesirable websites will be filtered.
Does it address copyright, plagiarism, and validity of resources?
The AUP does not address these issues. 5th grade includes an Honor Policy that addresses plagiarism. It is up to individual teachers to address copyright and validity of resources. I do have the students complete a webquest that includes some information on checking the validity of a website. We do require students to cite their sources, including pictures, when submitting research reports, but I have not taught the students about using only copy-right free images.
Is the AUP/RUP proactive or reactive (positive or punitive)?
*The Cupertino Union School District (CUSD) is committed to providing our students access to cutting edge instructional technology tools. The use of technology for the purpose of instruction provides our students with learning opportunities that extend well beyond the walls of the classroom. For students, use of technology in the classroom is for educational purposes, such as accessing curriculum-related information, sharing resources, and promoting innovation in learning. Learning how to use technology is a vital part of creating exemplary learners with the skills to succeed in the 21st century. No personal use of any kind is permitted.
The policy does start in a positive manner, but then quickly moves to a student shall/student shall not list. It ends by saying that the use of technology is a privilege, not a right, and that suspension of access or other disciplinary action may result from the inappropriate use of technology.
Does your district require parental signature for students to be able to utilize the Internet, or does it only require a signiture if parents do not wish their child to use the Internet?
Parents must sign a separate form indicating that they have read the agreement and understand that the district encourages the proper use of technology for the purpose of instruction.
How well is the RUP/AUP understood by teachers, students, and parents?
The AUP goes home in the Opening Day Packet, and an acknolodgment is returned signed by students and parents. The forms need to be returned before students able to use the computer lab (in theory). I don't talk to the kids or the parents about the policy, and until now, have not read it myself.
Who is involved in revising the AUP/RUP (and the technology plan)? Are teachers, students, and parents included on the committee?
At the moment, I have no idea who is involved. I do know that the district now has a committee that meets to determine policy and direction in regard to technology. The committee is called the Technology Planning and Implementation Committee (TPIC) and consist of various stakeholders throughout the District.
Analyze your districts’ AUP/RUP. Compare it to the examples provided in this module.
I read through two other AUPs from the module. Both were a lot more comprehensive in areas of concern. They both also seemed more "user-friendly", emphasizing that the Internet is a place that can greatly enhance learning, but that certain guidelines needed to be followed.
What changes would you make if you were involved in revising it?
I think would make the AUP more "child-friendly", maybe an elementary school version and a middle school version. Stress that the Internet can be a wonderful tool and that our concern is to keep students safe. I would also make it more comprehensive, allowing students to have an e-mail address, and use it in an appropriate manner.
How might you assure that it is read and understood by all constituents (parents, teachers, administrators, and students)?
For teachers and administrators, I would most likely review it during a pre-school year in-service day. Teachers need to review the policy with their students, maybe pieces at a time, as part of an overall cyber safety curriculum. Parents are a little more difficult, though incorporating this into a Back to School Night presentation would be helpful.
Video Notes
Policies, Practices, Training and Infrastructure
Use of personal devices for taking photos - I use my personal camera all the time. There's no log or record kept of photos taken by teachers at our school.
I like the little reminder video - it's short and might even be something that could be played at the beginning of every computer lab section, or a screenshot of the agreement be the first page the students see when they log into the Internet at school.
Videos reminding teachers of good Internet practices and some common courtesy items, like downloading large files during off-peak hours.
Notes for Module 2:
Reflection Questions:
1. How does this information on copyright correspond with what you already know and use in your classroom?
I know that there are restrictions on what you can and cannot legally use in the classroom. In the MERIT program, we've learned about Creative Commons, and other sites where you can find photos, music, and material that can be used without express permission from the creator. Some items, like videos, are okay to use if they are for educational, not entertainment, value; or a limited number of copies of a document are made for classroom use.
2. How are you teaching your students about copyright?
When teaching students how to research information and obtain pictures for a report, I talk about the importance of citing their sources. I tell them that unless they took a picture themselves, they need to give credit to the photographer. The same goes for information that they are including in their reports. Again, they need to cite the sources where they've found information generated by others and can't copy/paste text they've found or used it with subtle changes in the wording. They learn about how to take notes, then turn those notes into their own words. I haven't taught them yet about using sites such as Creative Commons, and will need to make sure I teach them about using only public domain music when adding audio to videos later this year.
3. How do you model correct use of copyrighted materials in your classroom and in your daily life?
One of the most important would be giving credit for images that I use in my PowerPoints, especially if I post them on our website. Also, making sure the author credits are on worksheets that I use in my classroom. Music that I play is either from CD's that I've bought or from free sites like Pandora, which do pay artists for air play. Knowing that I can't upload worksheets that I haven't created, even though the intent is just for my students to have Internet access to.
4. Do you observe violations of copyright law in your school or among your associates? If so, what violations have your noticed (perhaps now as a result of reading the above materials), and how might you help people to better understand copyright?
While I am more aware of it now, I'm still probably as guilty as many other teachers of using copyrighted material. Not with malicious intent, but just with the fact that, in an attempt to not "reinvent the wheel", we find worksheets or images that will work with a lesson that we're putting together, and don't think to either cite it, or request permission. I think videos that are shown during rainy-day lunches or as a reward and don't tie to educational purposes are another major violation of copyrighted material. Educating teachers about what they can and cannot use without express permission and modeling it yourself are good ways to help people understand - kind of going on the premise of "unless it says you can, you can't".
5. Why do you think some people violate copyright law?
As above, I think a lot of it is unintentional, just a lack of awareness about copyright law. I'm sure that there are those who do intentionally violate it though, in an attempt to avoid paying for the use of the resource, or to possibly claim credit.
6. Why do we have copyright laws?
We have copyright laws to protect the rights of the artists, musicians, authors, and others who create unique material and have the right to benefit from and control the use of that creation.
What have your learned about fair use that will help you in your classroom?
On one side, knowing what types of material I can use and under what circumstances, so that I don't unnecessarily stress about whether what I'm using is appropriate or not. On the other side, having information that I can use to then teach my students about what they can use when creating their project.
What do you find most confusing about copyright and fair use? What surprised you as you reviewed the above materials?
The different rules about different types of media are almost overwhelming - you can use up to 10% or a maximum of this many words/pages, seconds of music or video, etc... Probably the most surprising are the restrictions of tv program recordings. The fact that you can only keep them for 45 days and only show them during the first 10 days. If I record something to use during a lesson, I will usually want to be able to use it year after year, when I teach that lesson to each new class. This makes it difficult to do that legally.
One of the areas we've been exploring is the concept of "flipped-teaching". Having the students do more of the lecture/reading part of lessons at home, to use class time for the activities/collaboration/discussion. After looking at the TEACH Act information, I wonder how difficult it would be to incorporate flipped lessons in a context outside an online college course.
How might you use the videos to help your students learn about copyright and fair use?
The Disney video would be a good one that I could show my class. It's probably a little over what a 5th grader could grasp on their own, but it's entertaining enough to hold their attention, and I can see where a meaningful discussion could come out of viewing it. The second video appears to be more appropriate for a high school class, where they are more likely to be out making documentary films.
Notes for Module 3:
Think about how you teach digital citizenship in your classroom.
How do you integrate this with your academic content?
Several sites, including Common Sense Media and K12 Digital Citizenship offer lessons that are directly tied to the new Common Core Standards. When teaching about how to research for a report, lessons on how to evaluate websites for reliable information can be included. Collaborative projects can be completed using a wiki or "Google Docs"
How does your school or district promote good digital citizenship?
The below is from our district AUP.
respect the same privacy of others
Students Shall Not:
threatening, sexually explicit, or illegal material
- Disclaimer - Students will be instructed on the appropriate use of technology in the classroom and be supervised while using technology for the purpose of instruction. The district provides Internet filtering software to stop most unwanted material from appearing on school computers. However, CUSD cannot guarantee that students will not access inappropriate materials on the Internet or misuse technology in the classroom and the district cannot guarantee that all undesirable websites will be filtered.
In addition, our school has an Internet Safety Night.Most of this, however, is left up to the teachers to cover. For me, we have guidelines set up for our class wiki, that all the students must agree with. I teach how to use search engines effectively and evaluate websites. We have an Honor Policy that includes the topic of plagarism and I teach how to take notes from websites without copying, and how to properly cite sources.
When I receive e-mails from students, if they don't follow proper format, they receive a lengthy e-mail back from me regarding the proper format for writing to a teacher or other adult.
How might you, your school, and/or your district better integrate digital citizenship into the curriculum?
I think that having this new Common Sense Media curriculum for next year will really be beneficial. There are lessons in a variety of areas, such as netiquette, privacy, research, and more. These lessons will be taught from Kindergarten on, so the concept of digital citizenship will be reinforced every year with the students.
How might you help the parents of your students teach their children to be good digital citizens?
We have a short discussion on this topic during our Back to School Night, and a portion of our Back to School Information packet addresses how parents can help at home. Common Sense Media has information and parent tips/newsletters that can be sent home. Our district is also talking about setting up Parent Information Nights in conjunction with the new program.
What types of cyberbullying have you seen at your school?
We don't see much cyberbullying at our school. I have had a group of students write that another student was bossy and mean while on a collaborative page and sometimes wiki comments about student work can be a bit critical.
Has your staff discussed cyberbulling and how to deal with it? If so, how cyberbullying being addressed?
Our school resource officers make a presentation each year about Internet safety and cyberbulling. I don't think we discuss it much in staff meetings. Any violations are handled with the principal and teacher, so it's kept pretty quiet, unless more people need to know about it.
Does your school or district’s tech plan or AUP/RUP contain information on cyberbullying and how it is to be handled?
From our AUP:
Bullying involving the use of technology (cyberbullying) will not be tolerated from either school or home and may result in suspension and/or a recommendation for expulsion. Also, when appropriate, local law enforcement may be involved.
Cyberbullying by posting or publishing images and video captured at the school site and school related activities on social networking sites, blogs, and other websites, that negatively impact the learning environment and/or harass students or staff members
What can you do to prevent cyberbullying?
I discuss the topic with my students. We have our wiki guidelines that we agree to. In addition, I receive updates of wiki activity each night, and can quickly delete inappropriate items, restrict user access, and have discussions with students involved. In addition, our Project Cornerstone program addresses cyberbulling with lessons and scenarios that students act out and resolve.
Consider how you might use the videos and the reading information to teach your students about digital citizenship.
I bookmarked the sites for use next year. Since we are going to implement the Common Sense Media program next year, my computer lab sessions at the beginning of the year will incorporate these lessons to raise the students awareness from the very beginning.
Notes for Module 4:
As you explore these resources consider how you will teach your students about cyberbullying and what they can do to prevent it. How will you reach out to students who have been victims of cyberbulling? How will you help parents to understand the implications and indications of cyberbullying for their children (both as cyberbulliers and as victims).
Despite having both lessons from Project Cornerstone and Time for Kids, and a presentation by our school resource officers; I've had two incidents this week alone with cyberbullying. The first was a google doc shared by two students, where one was writing mean things about another student. The document was "accidentally" shared with the victim, though no one will admit to sharing it. The second was also a google doc project that had a statement show up in the middle of it. The history of the document showed that the document was being edited by the victim when the statement appeared. Though another student was at the victims house at the time, I am inclined to think the older brother did it as a joke, but am waiting to hear back from the parents. As a side note, the student who was writing the mean things has claimed that she would never bully anyone, as she was bullied at a different school. Her justification for this action was the claim that the victim was saying mean things about her, and this was her retaliation; though it does not appear that the victim was saying things about her.
With both cases this week, we acted very quickly. In fact, I wasn't even at school the day the first incident occurred, but noticed the activity on my google account of shared student documents. A quick phone call and e-mail to the school got the investigation started right away. The students involved will be making a public apology to the victim, including why what they did was wrong. Parents were informed quickly and made aware that this was a violation of the AUP and that it could lead to loss of school technology or even suspension. I don't think our principal has spoken with the victim's parents yet - that is something that I'll check on this week, but she did have a discussion with the victim. But making parents aware, and to watch for any changes in behavior, etc... would be important, as it would be for teachers.
The curriculum for Common Sense Media has several good lessons on cyberbullying, thinking before acting, and being an upstander, rather than a bystander. These lessons will be at the heart of our technology program. As we begin introducing this curriculum from Kindergarten on, I hope the repeated reinforcement on digital citizenship will become ingrained in our students. Combining this with the Project Cornerstone lessons and presentations by our school resource officers will continue to surround my students with the message that it's not okay to bully.
I did a search on cyber-bullying 5th grade and came up with a few that were either created by 5th grade students, or that would be appropriate to show, including several on the Common Sense Media website. One, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWJut7KQhI4, even shows how you can be an upstander without saying a word. These would all be good to show. In addition, my students create PSAs during the year. As part of a technology/cyberbullying unit, I could have them create PSAs for their fellow students.
How can you be sure the information you and your students find represents factual information?
I can use the tips from the resources you and others have provided to find good websites for my students to use. Often, I'll put a list of websites up that they know they can go to for information. In addition, I can teach my students to evaluate websites, sometimes by giving them the fake ones to see what they think.
How can you find sites that will hold your students’ attention long enough for them to gather the information they need?
This one is a little trickier. I think key is finding websites that are tailored to their age group. For science, I like sciencespot.net. The resources there are oriented towards elementary school students, so information is broken up by page, and there is usually lots of color, images, and graphics to keep their attention.
How can you better integrate higher order thinking skills into your curriculum that will help students be better users of the Internet?
I found the Digital Bloom's Taxonomy helpful, with ideas of how I can have my students user higher order thinking skills and web 2.0 tools in combination. Of course, it was nice to see that some of the things I have my kids doing: like making PSA videos, publishing their writing on our class wiki, and working collaboratively on google docs or our wiki. I also like the list of "suspect" websites that I can have my kids evaluate.
The Google Blooming apps page looks helpful too, with apps I can download to my iPad, and different ways I can have kids using specific sites or apps.
As you view these videos consider how you will approach these two topics with your students. How do you teach these two concepts now?
As part of a lesson on effectively using search engines, via a webquest, the last section is on authenticating websites. It as a series of "dupe detector" questions to ask of the website, to determine if it's authentic or not. Occasionally, we'll use videos or websites such as the tree octopus or flying penguins to remind students that just because it's on the Internet, doesn't mean it's real.
We also don't allow the students to cite Wikipedia as a resource, with the explanation that anyone can edit it, so you don't always know it's true. Of course, that doesn't mean that they (and I) go there for quick information.
What have you learned or found in this module that will help you as you teach these concepts to your students?
There are a number of good resources available on on-line, in addition to the web-quest I have the kids do. It also reminds me to look for those opportunities to have the kids use higher-order thinking skills as they complete assigned projects. Sometimes the kids come up with them themselves. I had a group that asked if they could make a website based on information they found while writing their science camp guidebook. Another group is creating the images for their guidebook using art apps on my iPad. Both of these are new for me this year, and it just reminds me to keep looking for ways to make the lessons I teach better and more relevant to my students.
Which of the above resources have been the most helpful for you?
From the "higher order" question above:
I found the Digital Bloom's Taxonomy helpful, with ideas of how I can have my students user higher order thinking skills and web 2.0 tools in combination. Of course, it was nice to see that some of the things I have my kids doing: like making PSA videos, publishing their writing on our class wiki, and working collaboratively on google docs or our wiki. I also like the list of "suspect" websites that I can have my kids evaluate.
The Google Blooming apps page looks helpful too, with apps I can download to my iPad, and different ways I can have kids using specific sites or apps.
At what age should be begin to teach these concepts to students?
Our kinders are in the computer lab, so I think teaching these topics to that grade level is perfectly appropriate. Our new Common Sense Media program has a lesson on searching a couple of websites,
- Enchanted Learning: www.enchantedlearning.com/coloring
- Giraffian Picture Dictionary: www.giraffian.com/dictionary
and the letters of the alphabet to find information on a cat, etc...There is also a lesson on evaluating sites for this grade level where students go to specific sites and complete a graphic survey (happy/sad faces) if they like the pictures on the site, if there are fun activities, the links work, they would visit that site again, etc.
Module 6
What is our responsibility as educators, parents, students, and citizens to assure that all children, young people, as well as all of the people with whom we intersect, be responsible digital citizens?
Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it will also take all the members of a child's community to model, teach, expect, reinforce, collaborate, communicate, and provide opportunities for children to become responsible digital citizens. As educators, we need to locate relevant lessons, and actually teach them in our classrooms, finding ways to connect these lessons to curriculum that students are already working with. We need to model being responsible digital citizens ourselves, in content we use in our classrooms, the communication that we have with students, parents, and peers, and the way we act on-line. The parents need to be provided with material that they can use to reinforce what we do in the classroom, encouraged to also act responsibly on-line, and reminded that they have a responsibility to over-see what their children are doing, both on and off-line. Our students can then taught to become the mentors of younger students, helping to model responsible behavior. Another important piece is also the after-school programs, sports, and clubs. If students are constantly surrounded with the message that "this is how responsible digital citizens act and use tools to create positive outcomes", then teach that message to others; I hope that it will eliminate or reduce the fears and negative behaviors that can be associated with technology.
Notes from Safety/Literacy/Ethics for life in a digital world.
Digital Space: Make safe for kids & prepare kids for life in 21st century, productively, safely and effectively use tools to make life better.
Every child has a chance to become a good digital citizen
Definition of digital citizenship -
What are kids doing, thinking, expectations while on-line?
Good/Productive and Bad/Bullying
Move from fear and what you can't to, to protecting and empowering, how to engage and create
3 Buckets:
Internet Safety/Security
Digital Literacy
Behavioral Expectations - Digital Ethics
icionline.org
Infusing technology throughout the education process, and into society
Mike Ribble: "Citizens that are using technology, how do we become better by using that technology?"
Ann: Rights and responsibilities of citizenship - killer app of on-line safety - don't overcomplicate it.
protective/empowering/collaborative
civil behavior/ethical behavior/kindness to others
teach children how to be good to one another, how to cooperate, defend someone being picked on, stand up for what is right
children need to be stakeholders in their own well-being on-line,
Chuck Saylors (PTA/Parent): Getting parents engaged, hone down message to something that is easy to understand, easy to deliver and appreciated by the parents, and adult role-models in the child's life.
Linda Burch (Common Sense Media) - Educating parents and schools, Shift from content to behavior. Balance between perils and possibilities. Language of empowerment and action, it's your world, what do you want to make of it.
Policy / Real-Curriculum / Inclusive / Public Awareness and Participation
How do we integrate this back into the classroom, what will we take away to make this happen?
Getting buy-in at the community level
Choices that kids make - how parents deal with those choices
Preventable crisis in the future
How do we evaluate and assess this?
Get government to engage in this too
Modelling, shake off mass-media native context (the way we grew up)
Not just a nice idea, it's imperative
DC is malleable, able to shift and change, international
Bring young people into the discussion
9 elements of digital citizenship
Start at K level, begin to talk about it as they go through, by 8th grade have foundation, high school can build on and begin to create.
Models of best practices
How to even start the conversation for parents with students - get the student engaged
Have a tech-literate parent liason at each school
Peer-mentoring program - behavioral issues
becomes vertical quickly - integrate world-wide, together - global conversations
A couple of years from now -
Soft cost -
hard cost - Frustrations, government funding questions,
Morph into a Public Health Question
Don't forget after-school space, clubs, sports, after-school programs, scouts, etc...
Connect home - school - after-school settings
shared responsibility